The comic book superhero based on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will return this December — alongside congressional colleagues who make up “The Squad.”
The publisher behind the political comic featuring Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx/Queens) will portray Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) alongside the progressive lawmaker as a gaggle of superheroes.
Recently, the four congresswomen — voted into office amid a historically diverse election for Congress — have faced President Donald Trump’s ire on Twitter in attacks criticized as racist.
But Trump’s comments have only further defined “The Squad,” argues Josh Blaylock, founder of the comics’ publisher, Devil’s Due.
“It’s sort of been a term of endearment in the last couple months,” he said. “But now, with the attacks from the president … it’s almost been solidified as a brand.”
The comic’s latest edition, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force: Squad Special,” is available for preordering online.
A yet-to-be determined cut of the proceeds will go toward two immigration nonprofits: RAICES Texas and Southern California-based Second Families, which aids refugees. All of the profits earned from the sale of 500 additional copies — featuring an expletive on its cover after “We’re Not Going Anywhere” — will go to the organizations.
References to Trump’s recent tweets, in which he told the congresswomen to “go back” to the "totally broken and crime infested places from which they came," will make several appearances in the comic, Blaylock said. Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley and Tlaib, all women of color, were born in the United States. Somalia-born Omar came to the U.S. in 1995 and became a citizen in 2000.
Blaylock couldn’t say whether the comic would include some of the controversies facing certain congresswomen, including Omar’s remarks on Israel and the ensuing backlash accusing her of anti-Semitism. But the comic serves a useful purpose in the current political climate, he said.
Nearly two dozen authors and artists worked on its much-anticipated release, which he hopes will be “cathartic” for readers fatigued by the Trump administration.
“We’re not trying to change the world or anything, but everyone who’s contributed to these books, they want to say that they did their part,” he said. “It’s sort of like … meeting up with your friends at a bar. Hanging out to support each other.”
